Bayer Honored for Quality Initiatives at 2008 American Society for Quality Conference
Teams from Bayer MaterialScience and Bayer HealthCare subsidiary MEDRAD take home multiple awards
Pittsburgh, May 23, 2008 - Three teams from Bayer took home honors at the American Society for Quality's (ASQ) World Conference on Quality and Improvement. The ASQ, the world's leading authority on quality, strives to improve business results and create better workplaces and communities worldwide. This year's conference also featured a keynote address by Bayer MaterialScience LLC (BMS) President and CEO Gregory S. Babe.
The Truckload/Less than Truckload (TL/LTL) Optimization team from BMS earned the Bronze Award in the International Team Excellence competition for its presentation Optimizing the TL/LTL Decision for BMS. The TL/LTL Optimization team was singled out for its successful launch of a project that created a 'Visual Workspace' that simplified decision making for logistics representatives and reduced linehaul freight costs by more than $500,000 in 2007.
"Winning this award is international recognition that BMS has developed a great lean Six Sigma methodology that people have embraced, and that team members have been able to apply across many areas of the company," said TL/LTL Team Leader Sean Ritchie.
In addition, the TL/LTL team was recognized by presentation attendees for best use of data in its presentation. What's more, the TL/LTL team captured first place in the poster competition, which is also voted on by attendees.
Another BMS team, the Gel team, was also recognized by attendees for best use of data in its presentation, Delivering Breakthrough Performance Through Total Collaboration. The presentation described the resolution of a customer's shipping problem that not only reaffirmed the customer's confidence, but also improved the quality of BMS' output delivery.
The Device History Record Error Reduction Team from MEDRAD, Inc., a Bayer HealthCare subsidiary, tied for third place in the poster competition. The team successfully reduced Device History errors by 80 percent, resulting in less scrap as well as greater process efficiency.
"Only four teams from Pennsylvania were finalists in this distinguished competition and in fact, Pennsylvania was one of only eight U.S. states with finalists," said Babe. "With three finalist teams, the Bayer organization is honored to be so well represented in this international competition. We believe it is indicative of our quality culture and focus on continuous improvement."
Bayer MaterialScience LLC is one of the leading producers of polymers and high-performance plastics in North America and is part of the global Bayer MaterialScience business with nearly 15,400 employees at 30 sites around the world and 2007 sales of 10.4 billion euros. Business activities are focused on the manufacture of high-tech polymer materials and the development of innovative solutions for products used in many areas of daily life. The main segments served are the automotive, electrical and electronics, construction, medical, and sports and leisure industries. Our inorganic basic chemicals unit produces chlorine and related essential products for the chemicals industry. Let us give life to your vision. Bayer MaterialScience -- Where VisionWorks.
The Bayer Group is a global enterprise with core competencies in the fields of health care, nutrition and high-tech materials. Bayer HealthCare, a subsidiary of Bayer AG, is one of the world's leading, innovative companies in the healthcare and medical products industry and is based in Leverkusen, Germany. The company combines the global activities of the Animal Health, Consumer Care, Diabetes Care and Pharmaceuticals divisions. The pharmaceuticals business operates under the name Bayer Schering Pharma AG. Bayer HealthCare's aim is to discover and manufacture products that will improve human and animal health worldwide.
Bayer Corporation, headquartered in Pittsburgh, is a subsidiary of Bayer AG, an international health care, nutrition and innovative materials group based in Leverkusen, Germany. In North America, Bayer had 2007 net sales of 8.1 billion euros and employed 16,800 at year end. Bayer's three subgroups, Bayer HealthCare, Bayer CropScience and Bayer MaterialScience, improve people's lives through a broad range of essential products that help diagnose, prevent and treat diseases; protect crops and enhance yields; and advance automobile safety and durability.
Contact:
Bill Allan, Phone: 412-777-5200
E-mail: Bill.Allan@bayerbms.com
For more information about Bayer, call 1-800-662-2927, e-mail naftainfo@bayerbms.com or visit www.bayermaterialsciencenafta.com.
Find more information about Bayer HealthCare, visit www.bayerhealthcare.com.
For more information about the American Society for Quality, call 1-800-248-1946, e-mail help@asq.org or visit www.asq.org.
